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As one of our regular clients, you may be wondering why LED has started to become part of several of our facial treatments. We are bonafide LED enthusiasts, and you are probably asking yourself, "What is LED? What are its benefits in relation to skincare?"

Since we know our clients are smart and educated people, we decided to give you the actual nerdy basics on how LED works. The 2 biggest uses of LED in skincare are Acne and Anti-Aging.

ACNEBlue wavelengths that penetrate the skin and produce oxygen, which can destroy acne-causing bacteria. Once the blue light treatment is delivered, this light energy is absorbed by the targeted bacteria that produce the inflammation associated with acne, known as propionibacterium acnes, or “P. acnes”. P. acnes release porphyrins, which are naturally occurring molecules in the body. When porphyrins absorb certain wavelengths of light, free radical damage is produced, which destroys the bacteria. Without P. acnes around to cause inflammation, acne is reduced. The FDA has approved narrow-band, high intensity blue light for treating acne, so this is the real deal, and highly recommended for anyone on an acne skin care regimen.

ANTI-AGINGWavelengths of red light help improve skin’s barrier function by improving its ability to retain key elements it needs to heal and generate new collagen and elastin. Both of these are known to increase the elasticity of the skin and keep it looking healthy and young. Elasticity is what keeps the skin smooth. Skin’s natural elasticity reduces with age, eventually resulting in visible wrinkles as the skin is not able to pull itself taut anymore. Also, as the body ages, the production of new skin cells slows down. With fewer new cells being produced, skin begins to have more of an aged look. The combination of increased levels of both elastin and collagen are said to reduce this effect significantly. As well as producing elastin and collagen, red light therapy also increases circulation. It does this by relaxing the blood vessels in the treated areas allowing the blood to flow more easily. This further helps to prevent and get rid of wrinkles as increased circulation encourages the production of new skin cells.

On the origins of LED: originally developed by NASA, Light Emitting Diodes, or LED for short, was intended to deliver light deep into tissues of the body to promote wound healing and human tissue growth. The theory was that the light would attract the cytochromes, the parts of the cell that respond to light and color. When cytochromes are activated, their energy levels go up, which stimulates tissue growth and regeneration. Light therapy has been used in plants for years but researchers began to realize that it worked wonders on the skin, so the beauty industry went full throttle in its research. It was discovered that LED showed strong efficacy for the treatment of inflammatory acne, rosacea, wrinkles, sun damage, and uneven skin tone.

And now you know! LED treatments COMPLEMENT rather than REPLACE a well-formulated home skin-care routine.